Magic Leap sees a bright future in AR healthcare

| 9/10/2019

Magic Leap sees a bright future in AR healthcare

Health and wellness is one of five key areas that Magic Leap is targeting for its technology, along with mobility, entertainment, energy and water, and communications. “We’ve been talking about this concept of a digital operating room for a long time,” says Jennifer Esposito, the company’s VP of health and fitness. “Not just Magic Leap, but a lot of people.” In the last few years, Magic Leap has gotten XRHealth, SyncThink, The Dan Marino Foundation, and Stanford Children’s Hospital to integrate with its spatial computing platform. More from Magic Leap, Fast Company and Venture Beat.

Is telehealth about to take off in Florida?

The Department of Health announced this week that its Division of Medical Quality Assurance is moving ahead with a new proposed rule that will include a form for out-of-state health care providers to register with the appropriate licensing boards. A measure that would have required out-of-state health care professionals to pay a registration fee was vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. That means once they register with the state, they are able to begin treating patients. [Source: Florida Politics]

Community summit focuses on women’s health

There’s a summit next week in Orlando on how women’s health and well-being affect mental health. The summit is aimed at issues from access to health care to domestic violence. Dr. Shannon Schellhammer will discuss maternal health. She says there could be fewer pre-term babies if high-risk mothers get prenatal care. [Source: WUSF]

As CDC warns against vaping, Florida medical marijuana community says that doesn’t mean us

U.S. public health officials had a strong warning for those who use vaporizers and e-cigarettes Friday afternoon: You should probably stop vaping. In Florida, however, doctors and medical marijuana treatment centers say there is little cause for concern in the state, where about 357,000 patients are approved to use the drug as medicine. Many of them use a vaporizer to inhale oils or whole flower marijuana. [Source: Miami Herald]

Johns Hopkins All Children’s faces record state fines

State regulators intend to hit Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital with some of the largest fines levied against a Florida hospital in recent memory, delivering a stinging rebuke to the prestigious institution. The fines will add up to $804,000. Four of them are for $197,000 — each more than twice as much as any other individual fine the state Agency for Health Care Administration has levied on a hospital since 2010. More from the Tampa Bay Times and Health News Florida.

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Florida nurse vacancy report four years out of date [Sarasota Herald-Tribune] An important report used by lawmakers, nonprofits and nursing schools that shows just how many nurses are needed in Florida, and where, is badly outdated — by four years. For almost a decade, the Florida Center for Nursing has compiled information for the Demand for Nursing report to help those in charge implement strategic solutions to address the statewide nursing shortage crisis. FCN was created in 2001 by the Florida Legislature in an effort to address the issues of supply and demand for nursing.

› How to be medically prepared for the next hurricane[WKMG] Cleanup is still in progress following Hurricane Dorian but this week marks the peak of hurricane season and a doctor with AdventHealth says no time is better than the present to make sure you are ready for the next one. As Central Florida prepared for a major hurricane to potentially make landfall in our coastal communities, doctors urged everyone to get medical supplies and prescriptions ahead of the storm.

› U.S. government wants Jackson Memorial to repay $412 million in Medicaid payments [Miami Herald] Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital got hundreds of millions in Medicaid dollars that it shouldn’t have received between 2010 and 2014, auditors say, and now the federal government wants the money back. A new audit issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General contends the public hospital erroneously claimed $686 million in Medicaid costs, of which $412 million was paid by the federal government.

› Tampa clinic opts out of Title X program over abortion rule[WUSF] Low-income patients in Hillsborough County are losing an option for receiving free family-planning care at the end of this month. As of Sept. 30, Tampa Family Health Centers will no longer offer Title X services. It's due to a new rule from the Trump Administration that bars federally-qualified health centers from receiving funding for the program if they provide or counsel patients about abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or medical emergency.

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Many veterans in Southwest Florida are demanding better healthcare coverage. Veterans said they're getting only limited access to mental health doctors because of a rule that restricts the number of visits they can make to a doctor.